Anyone else here trying to quit or have quit smoking? I am trying my best but am really struggling with it. My PCM has me taking chantix which doesn't seem to be working.

Any tips or tricks? I want to quit I have smoked for a long time.

Wow! Congrats on stopping! Keep up the good work! Cold turkey?

Yes, VERY COLD turkey! Its rough but my hunger pains are worse! I originally thought that I may be overwhelmed with Pre Op diet and quitting smoking the same day. Im glad I was wrong! I have cravings fora cigarette.... but I just grab my phone or tablet and get my mind off of it.


51 year old woman
VSG DATE: 10/28/17
5' 5"
HW: 259
CW: 249
SW: ---
GOAL: 135

I smoked for for about 12 years, and quit 10 years ago using Chantix. I was heavily addicted. I couldn't go more than 2 hours without a smoke. I tried to stop every few months, but could never make it past a day or 2. I would get so irritated by everything, and then go back to smoking. My doctor prescribed me Chantix, and I quit after 4 days of using it. I have never smoked since. I can't stand cigarette smoke now. As a matter of fact, I can't stand smoke from smoke machines, fire, or anything else. My chest gets tight after hovering over a grill for too long.
For those of you that are trying Chantix, try using it for the entire 3 months. It is expensive, and most insurance plans don't cover it, but you can half the later doses to save on the cost. I got 2 full doses, and took a full dose for the first month, and a half dose for the next 2 months. I felt as though I didn't need the medication after the first month, but I continued to take it anyway. A co-worker that stopped at the same time as me only purchased the first month's prescription. She started smoking again after a few months.
The other thing that is important, is that you should follow the program as well, and not just take the medicine. You need to know what your triggers are, and recognize them every time they are present. It helps to also get online, and do the surveys, etc. If I remember correctly, the program asks you how you feel each day, and gives you little tidbits of information. For example, it might tell you congratulations on your 60th day without a cigarette, and then tell you that your life expectancy has increased by X amount of years or that you have the same life expectancy of someone that hasn't smoked in X amount of years. It is pretty interesting information.
Good luck on trying to quit, and please don't smoke shortly after surgery as it will mess with your body's ability to heal and can cause lots of problems. It just isn't worth it.

Thank u! I think I'm like ur friend. I took Chantix before surgery and stopped smoking about a month preop, but then i stopped the meds. Now here i am post op and craving a smoke. I shouldn't have stopped chantix so soon. I wonder if i can start the program over from the first step, even though I'm not smoking? Hmmm.

The problem with me is I truly loved smoking. Started at 11yrs old, stopped cold turkey for about 7 yrs in my 20s to have a child, then started again and never stopped. Ya, the smell all over ur clothes sucks and going outside in the elements sucks, and the bad lungs u could get would suck, but, i just really loved and enjoyed my cigs. They calmed me, made me not eat, were great socially with friends... I miss all that. Oh oh oh, and after a meal..OMG!! The best!

But ur right, I'm NOT going to smoke right now, I'm going to resist the urge because I want this surgery to work more than i want a cig, and i want one bad!! [emoji4]

1 hour ago, Amburmist said:

Thank u! I think I'm like ur friend. I took Chantix before surgery and stopped smoking about a month preop, but then i stopped the meds. Now here i am post op and craving a smoke. I shouldn't have stopped chantix so soon. I wonder if i can start the program over from the first step, even though I'm not smoking? Hmmm.

The problem with me is I truly loved smoking. Started at 11yrs old, stopped cold turkey for about 7 yrs in my 20s to have a child, then started again and never stopped. Ya, the smell all over ur clothes sucks and going outside in the elements sucks, and the bad lungs u could get would suck, but, i just really loved and enjoyed my cigs. They calmed me, made me not eat, were great socially with friends... I miss all that. Oh oh oh, and after a meal..OMG!! The best!

But ur right, I'm NOT going to smoke right now, I'm going to resist the urge because I want this surgery to work more than i want a cig, and i want one bad!!

Yeah, I loved to smoke as well. I think that everyone that is addicted to something, loves it. We all eventually quit because of outside pressure, cost or health reasons. If it was socially acceptable, cheap, and didn't cause health problems, I would definitely be smoking right now. It helped me to relieve stress, and curbed my appetite. Not to mention, I was allowed to take smoke breaks at work. Our managers would frown upon people that were at other's desks talking, but didn't care if you went outside every few hours for 5-10 minutes to have a cigarette.

My family and friends would always tell me that I smelled like an ashtray, but I didn't believe them. Now, I can smell smokers all the way down the hall at work. It is a strong smell.

I also started saving the $4.00 that I was spending on cigarettes every day for my daughter's college fund. Ten years later, there is over $15,000 in that account. She is 13 now, so I still have 5 years to go. It isn't a whole lot considering the cost of attending college these days, but it will definitely help.

Yeah, I loved to smoke as well. I think that everyone that is addicted to something, loves it. We all eventually quit because of outside pressure, cost or health reasons. If it was socially acceptable, cheap, and didn't cause health problems, I would definitely be smoking right now. It helped me to relieve stress, and curbed my appetite. Not to mention, I was allowed to take smoke breaks at work. Our managers would frown upon people that were at other's desks talking, but didn't care if you went outside every few hours for 5-10 minutes to have a cigarette.
My family and friends would always tell me that I smelled like an ashtray, but I didn't believe them. Now, I can smell smokers all the way down the hall at work. It is a strong smell.
I also started saving the $4.00 that I was spending on cigarettes every day for my daughter's college fund. Ten years later, there is over $15,000 in that account. She is 13 now, so I still have 5 years to go. It isn't a whole lot considering the cost of attending college these days, but it will definitely help.

Wow, good for u for saving the cig money in an acct for ur daughter. Thats fantastic! Can u believe these days cigs are $7-$9 a pack?! Its getting outrageous in price!
Yes, ur right, I can smell a smoker like a mile away it seems. When i was a smoker, i thought i could blow the smoke downwind or things like that and i wouldnt stink when i went back inside. Obviously i know different now.

What about cigs are bad for us post RNY? Is it the tar and chemicals or is it the nicotine? Wonder if vapeing would cause the same risk/issues?

Thank u! I think I'm like ur friend. I took Chantix before surgery and stopped smoking about a month preop, but then i stopped the meds. Now here i am post op and craving a smoke. I shouldn't have stopped chantix so soon. I wonder if i can start the program over from the first step, even though I'm not smoking? Hmmm.

The problem with me is I truly loved smoking. Started at 11yrs old, stopped cold turkey for about 7 yrs in my 20s to have a child, then started again and never stopped. Ya, the smell all over ur clothes sucks and going outside in the elements sucks, and the bad lungs u could get would suck, but, i just really loved and enjoyed my cigs. They calmed me, made me not eat, were great socially with friends... I miss all that. Oh oh oh, and after a meal..OMG!! The best!

But ur right, I'm NOT going to smoke right now, I'm going to resist the urge because I want this surgery to work more than i want a cig, and i want one bad!! [emoji4]

I am right there with you.... I am trying to quit cold turkey too.... I will say one thing that has really helped me so far is my Vape w/ 0 NIC.... I use it for the motion of smoking...

Sent from my A466BG using BariatricPal App

I am right there with you.... I am trying to quit cold turkey too.... I will say one thing that has really helped me so far is my Vape w/ 0 NIC.... I use it for the motion of smoking...

Sent from my A466BG using BariatricPal App

Good luck to u darlin. Stopping smoking is unbelievably hard, especially if u truly still enjoy it and aren't sick of it yet, as i wasn't. And now without food to occupy my time, i want cigs more than ever! I might try vaping, but i was curious what about cigs is bad for healing? Is it all the chemicals and tar and smoke? Or is it the nicotine?

I don't smoke but I can appreciate how difficult quitting the habit is. It's made even more difficult by the fact that Big Tobacco adds extra nicotine just so you'll smoke more and buy more. It's really a seedy and unethical way of driving up profits. R.J. Reynolds and Phillip Morris are sleezy corporations.

On 10/28/2017 at 5:22 AM, Amburmist said:

I might try vaping, but i was curious what about cigs is bad for healing? Is it all the chemicals and tar and smoke? Or is it the nicotine?

My curiosity kicked-in so I did a quick look-up on this question and here's what I found:

Smoking increases your risk of experiencing the following surgical complications:
Blood clots
Pneumonia
Marginal ulcers
Surgical wound infection
Smokers have almost a 30 percent complication rate after weight loss surgery, which is astoundingly higher than the surgical complication rate for non-smokers.

This information came from this website: https://www.flowersbariatriccenter.com/patient-resources/preparing-for-bariatric-surgery/why-it-matters-to-stop-smoking-after-weight-loss-surgery/

I haven't checked all the sources or done any cross-referencing, so this might not be 100% accurate, but it looks like pretty solid information.

Hope this helps!

My curiosity kicked-in so I did a quick look-up on this question and here's what I found:
Smoking increases your risk of experiencing the following surgical complications:
Blood clots
Pneumonia
Marginal ulcers
Surgical wound infection
Smokers have almost a 30 percent complication rate after weight loss surgery, which is astoundingly higher than the surgical complication rate for non-smokers.
This information came from this website: https://www.flowersbariatriccenter.com/patient-resources/preparing-for-bariatric-surgery/why-it-matters-to-stop-smoking-after-weight-loss-surgery/
I haven't checked all the sources or done any cross-referencing, so this might not be 100% accurate, but it looks like pretty solid information.
Hope this helps!

Hi! Thanks for looking. I knew all the hazards of smoking but what I'm curious about is exactly what part of cigarettes causes this damage to the wound and stomach? Is it the tar? Chemicals? Nicotine? So, in other words, vapes have none of the tar or chemicals that cigarettes have, except for the nicotine. So if it's only the tar and chemicals in actual cigarettes that cause wound and stomach issues, presumably one could vape without those same woumd and stomach risks. That's the part I'm trying to figure out.